Not many people in Britain can say that their workplace operates exactly as it did 200 years ago. Karl Grevatt can. He spoke to Tessa Waugh; portraits by Richard Cannon for the Country Life Picture Library.

Mr Grevatt’s working day begins at 9am, when he sets about greasing all the parts. ‘My day is spent feeding the mill and packaging and weighing everything up, after which I load the van and do my deliveries.’

Charlecote Mill has two strands of business, one of which is producing chapati flour for the Asian community. ‘We supply roughly 600 families around Coventry, employing exactly the same milling process that they use in India,’ explains Mr Grevatt.

‘It’s very gentle, it doesn’t burn the vitamins and oils and it keeps all the flavour in.’ The mill also produces traditional stoneground flour for bakers, restaurants and home bakers.

The 1000-year history of milling at this spot is now in jeopardy, however. A proposal by the Avon Navigation Trust to adjust the depth of the waterway on this stretch of the River Avon is causing concern for Mr Grevatt and his supporters.

‘If there’s too much water, it acts as a brake on the watermill,’ he explains. ‘If there’s too much pressure at the back, the sluice gates won’t open, all of which would be catastrophic for the business and the future of the mill.’